Dessert Tamales: Rum-Date & Chocolate Chip

I catered a Mexican-themed dinner party last week. The menu included four different types of fresh salsas, guacamole, chicken and vegetable fajitas, rice, and black beans--Nothing too fancy, just standard healthy Mexican fare. Where I did take some creative license was with the dessert:  Tamales dulces, in two flavors.

I love tamales, but it's been a while since I've made them. They can be time-consuming so there is no sense in making them in small batches; There better be a crowd ready and waiting to enjoy them. 

Most people in the US think of tamales as a savory food, but according to Rick Bayless (Mexican food expert, cookbook author, former PBS host and chef extraordinaire), tamales dulces are wildly popular throughout Mexico. Flavors range from rich and decadent (chocolate) to colorful and bright (strawberry) to textured and simple (sweet corn and sugar cane).

I took the opportunity to expiriment with a couple of new fillings utilizing cupboard ingredients that I'm trying to get rid of before I leave for Brazil: a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, rum, mejool dates, and finely ground coconut. 

They turned out fantastic. The chocolate chip resembles chocolate cookie dough in texture and would be great with vanilla ice cream. The rum-date combination, however, has a much darker, more sophisticated flavor.

If you're interested in trying a breakfast tamale, I suggest adding nothing but unsweetened blueberries , or any berry for that matter. Even the frozen kind work great. If you don't have a lot of mouths to feed I highly recommend freezing these once cooked and cooled.

 Dessert Tamales

 The first step is to soak your corn husks in boiling hot water for about 20 minutes. You can buy corn husks from any Latin American grocer.

Traditional masa-making is quite a process. I opted for the short-cut version.

Masa dough:

2 cups instant masa

1 cup yellow corn meal

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup coconut oil

2 tablespoons of sugar (any kind)

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 1/2 cups coconut milk (or regular milk)

First, mix the masa and corn meal with the hot water and let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Next, cream the butter, sugar, salt and baking powder together. Then add the corn masa mixture. A food processor will help to combine these two but is not necessary. Finally, mix in the coconut milk until the mass is homogenized.

Rum-date filling:

1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup rum

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 tablespoons finely-ground dried coconut (optional)

Simmer all ingredients in a small saucepan until the dates have begun to dissolve and release their sugars into the liquid. Add more water if necessary, then allow the mixture to reduce, and cool before adding to the tamales.

Fill your steamer with enough water, then line the bottom with smaller, less desireable corn husks.

Spread a couple of tablespoons the masa mixture over one third of the corn husk. Ideally, you will use the smoothest husks first, avoiding those with deep ridges. I was at the end of my bag with these...

Put a tablespoon or less of the filling in the center of the dough (There is too much on the tamle pictured above.). Fold one edge over horizontally, enclosing the filling in the wrapper. Then fold the bottom, facing the seam.

Place the tamales in the steamer so that they hold their shape. To help with this, you can tie them with twine, but it isn't necessary. It can make them look more decorative though.

Steam for 10 minutes. Wait for them to cool sufficiently before serving, otherwise they'll be nothing but a gooey mess!

Valentine's Day: "Red velvet" beet cakes

A lot of visitors have been stumbling upon my site while looking for beet recipes. I guess I should have expected that would happen. I'm ok with it, but while I do appreciate beets, it's not like I'm some sort of fanatic who puts them in everything that I make.

A Google + user named Daro seems to think so. He called my phone several times last month to share with me "exciting information about the God-almighty beet!" At that point I thought, a) I should be careful when putting information about myself on the internet and b) some people really don't get what this site is about.

When I came up with the name for my personal chef and nutrition business, I was looking for a logo. A beet with a heart in it seemed cute, and I later decided that it fit my personality rather well, so the name stuck.

Beets are colorful and quirky. They're sweet and spunky. They're really good, but can take some convincing. Most people stear clear of them in supermarkets because they haven't a clue what to do with them. Poor, misunderstood little things!

Of course, beets are also nutritious. They're great for your heart, your blood, your bowels, and contain a potent anti-cancer compound called betanin; though I can't say the same for myself. 

But really, from a culinary perspective, the best thing about beets is that they stain everything magenta. This makes for great fun--and a great mess. If I ever have a choice in the color of my kitchen it will have to be magenta and yellow to match the stains on my dish towels (I also go wild with tumeric). 

Ok, I'm starting to sound like a beetnik (beet + fanatik)...

But really? In a cake? 

The idea dawned on me after pondering the origins of red velvet cake. I've never actually understood the point of that dessert. All of the standard recipes are basically vanilla cake with a ton of red food coloring added. I know my great grandma didn't have the ingredients to bake that cake...Or did she?

I figured that somewhere down the line beets must have been the primary coloring agent. Sure enough, my research revealed that boiled beets were sometimes added to red velvet cakes during World War II.

But I was surprised to learn that the original red velvet cakes didn't contain beets at all: A chemical reaction occurs when cocoa powder is exposed to acid, revealing a natural red compound called anthocyanin. Vinegar or buttermilk, and cocoa powder are all that's needed to give cakes a red tint.

Of course, this color is actually more of a reddish brown than the firetruck red we're used to. Some bakers discovered later that beets intensified the hue, and lent moisture, so they added them with discretion. Then "food scientists" came along, invented red #5, and made a mockery of culinary traditions. Booo!!

I'd like to think of these cupcakes as my own invention, but as you can see, they are actually quite retro. In case you're wondering, you can't really taste the beets in them. But beets being beets, they do leave their mark--Your cupcake liners will be stained a lovely shade of pink. ;-)

I cut back on butter and opted for yogurt instead, so they're not greasy--Just moist and deep with chocolate flavor. Here they're topped with a savory goat cheese frosting, and for the sake of passion, a sprinkling of red volcanic salt. 

"Red Velvet" Beet Cakes

2 cups beet puree (about a pound of beets)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup butter

6 oz dark chocolate, chopped (I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus 72% dark)

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup yogurt (full fat)

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 tbsp molasses

11/2 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Boil the beets until tender. Peel them, then puree them in a food processor with the balsamic vinegar until smooth.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler.
3. Combine the eggs, sugar, molasses, vanilla and yogurt. Then fold in the beets.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and fold in the egg mixture.
6. Fold in the chocolate, but don't overmix.
7. Divide the batter among cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until they are firm in the center.

Goat Cheese Frosting:

 8 oz goat cheese

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. Combine all ingredients until smooth.
2. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with something pretty (it doesn't have to be salt, but Trader Joe's pink salt would do nicely)
3. Refrigerate the cakes if you won't be serving them immediately. 

Dark chocolate rum tart with ginger-pecan crust

My dad was born on February 2, also known as Groundhog's Day. He is obviously a grown man now, but I imagine that when he was a kid it must have been annoying to have his birthday overshadowed by a rodent (pun intended). I'm not sure that animal is deserving of all the attention he gets.

To let my dad know that he's far more important than a burrowing animal, I made him this rich, decadent dessert. I also managed to use a few ingredients in my pantry that I need to get rid of before I leave next month.

My dad has simple tastes when it comes to food, but it's hard to go wrong with desserts. He likes chocolate, and he likes nuts, and that's what this tart is all about. The rum is an added bonus. The end result came out looking fancier than intended, but the flavors are straight-forward. One bite clearly says "Hello, chocolate! Hello, nuts!" and "Hellooooooo, rum!" 

I used this recipe by David Lebovitz as a guide, though he uses espresso instead of rum, and a traditional French tart dough. My dad doesn't like coffee, and I had all that dark rum stowed away in my cupboard. If I'd had amaretto on hand, I'd have gone with that--Next time.

Pantry Ingredients to use up: 3-lb bag of pecans (Costco got me), 1L bottle of dark rum, 8 oz. package of gluten-free ginger cookies (stocking stuffer from Christmas--don't worry, they were still good).

I could have made my own crust with alternative flours or more nuts instead of cookies; It would have been equally as simple. But these added a nice touch. I just threw them in the food processor with some toasted pecans, half a teaspoon of sea salt and a couple tablespoons of butter. You could use any cookie imaginable--Amaretti work nicely if you don't mind their overt sweetness. The ginger cookies were also very sweet, so I made the filling intentionally on the bitter side.

Here you can see how I just pressed the crust into 10.5-inch tart pan with my fingers. No need to pre-bake.

The first step in making the filling is caramelizing some sugar in a saucepan. Next you add the liquid (rum, espresso, vanilla, amaretto, etc.) and it bubbles up with excitement. Finally, the butter and dark chocolate are melted, and eggs are added to the mixture.

The tart only needs 20-25 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. I added the raw pecans on top halfway through the baking so they wouldn't burn.

Dark Chocolate Rum Tart with Ginger-Pecan Crust

Crust:

8 oz. package of gluten-free ginger cookies 

1 cup toasted pecans (or nut of choice; hazelnuts, anyone?)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tablespoons cold butter

1. Toast the pecans either in the oven or on the stove top.
2. Crumble the cookies and give them a whirl in the food processor.
3. Add the salt and toasted pecans, pulsing until the pecans are finely chopped.
4. Pulse in the butter.
5. Press the mixture into a tart pan.

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar (any kind)

6 tablespoons of dark rum

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

3 oz. butter

a pinch of salt

8 oz. 72% dark chocolate (Trader Joe's Pound Plus) or better quality, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup good cocoa powder

1 more tablespoon of vanilla extract

About 20 whole, raw pecans

1. Heat the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it turns golden.
2. Turn off the heat and add the rum and vanilla, stirring.
3. Add in the butter immediately afterward, then the chocolate.
4. Once the chocolate is melted, fold in the eggs.
5. After the eggs are well-incorporated, fold in the cocoa powder and the additional vanilla. 
6. Pour the mixture into the pre-prepared tart crust.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then remove it and add whole raw pecans as decoration.
8. Bake another 5 to 10 minutes. The center should still be a bit wobbly--It will firm up as at cools.
9. Leave the tart at room temperature, otherwise it will get too firm and ruin the silky texture.

Shrimp stir-fry with kaffir lime and forbidden rice

Pantry Ingredients: Sweet black rice, kaffir lime

I made this dish in an effort to use two ingredients that I have way too much of at the moment: Sweet "forbidden" black rice, and kaffir lime.

Kaffir lime is one of those specialty Asian ingredients that I absolutely love--I buy them fresh at Ranch 99 for about $1.50. One package probably contains about 50 leaves, and I only typically need 3 to 6 to flavor a dish. I don't make Thai green curry all that often, so I end up freezing the rest of the leaves for later use. 

The thing is, kaffir lime imparts such a bright, fresh flavor on its own, that it really should be used more often outside the curry paradigm. Try adding a few leaves to your next stir-fry--It will add a southeast asian twist to whatever you're cooking. I especially like it with seafood, but it also pairs well with chicken and beef. 

Sweet black rice is another southeast Asian ingredient. Apparently it was once forbidden in the east--Only royalty were permitted to enjoy it, as it was considered superior to all other rice.

Black rice really is superior to other rice in terms of nutritional value. Its dark pigment is due to high content of anthocyanin, the same antioxidant that is found in blue corn. A spoonful of black rice actually has more antioxidants than a spoonful of blueberries.

 Highlights: This rice is very sticky, and holds its shape well. That makes it great for dessert recipes....Stay tuned!

Shrimp Stir-Fry with Kaffir Lime and Forbidden Rice

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1.5 pounds peeled shrimp (the smaller the better)

1 inch of ginger, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, smashed with the back of a knife

3 or 4 thai bird chilies

6-8 frozen kaffir lime leaves

2 cups green beans, cleaned and cut

1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips

2 cups red cabbage, sliced thin

1 small orange sweet potato, sliced into thin coins (use a mandoline)

2 or 3 tablespoons of water

Salt or tamari, to taste

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (brown or black)

Black rice, cooked in a rice cooker

1) Heat one tablespoon of coconut oil in a large wok. Add half of the ginger, garlic, diced chilies and kaffir lime leaves. Stir-fry for one minute, then add the shrimp. Heat them until they are just barely pink, then remove them from the wok.

2) Heat the second tablespoon of coconut oil in the wok with the remainder of the ginger, garlic, chilies and lime leaves. Stir-fry for on minute, then add the green beans. Shortly after, add the sweet potatoes and some salt. 

3) Once the sweet potatoes have begun to sear, add the water, one tablespoon at a time as needed to soften the vegetables to the point where you can just pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork. Once that has evaporated, add another tablespoon of coconut oil, then the peppers and the cabbage.

4) Finish with the tamari, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Add the shrimp back into the mixture and turn off the heat.

5) Serve hot with the black rice.

Crispy toasted nori strips

Pantry Ingredient: Nori strips.

Every time I go to Ranch 99 I stock up on these. They're great to have on hand when I get a craving for a salty, crunchy snack. The following recipe is healthier than potato chips, every bit as tasty, and a lot quicker to make. 

Crispy Toasted Nori Strips

1 oz (30g) nori strips

1 tbsp light sesame oil

1 tbsp tamari

a squeeze of lemon

a pinch of wasabi powder, or chili powder

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Spread the nori on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often so they don't burn. Once they are good and crispy they are ready to enjoy.